Behind The Tracks: Nibiru Ordeal - The Explorer (Single) (2025)

Finland’s power metal force Nibiru Ordeal has released a brand-new single, The Explorer – a fast-paced, proudly genre-embracing anthem that offers another glimpse into the band’s upcoming album When the Worlds Collide. The track features an explosive dual solo section that pays homage to the legendary Children of Bodom, a band that left a deep imprint on Nibiru Ordeal’s sound.

Founding member Pekka Laitinen shares the origin of the song – a story that began nearly a decade ago in an unexpected setting:

“I came up with the main melody for The Explorert way back in 2016 as I was stumbling back from a bar late at night. Luckily I recorded it by humming into my phone — otherwise I would've totally forgotten about it! From ther,e it took four years to actually finish the song, and we finally rehearsed a full-band demo with the guys.”

Around that time, the passing of Alexi Laiho had a strong influence on Laitinen’s musical mindset:

“I was listening to tons of Children Of Bodom. I've always been fascinated by the virtuosic solo battles between guitar and keyboard. We had already played with that style on the previous album, and I wanted to pay humble tribute. So I decided to just go wild and make the key solo as COB-sounding as I could muster. Then Mirko wrote a completely insane guitar solo – together they form one of the sickest duels on the album.”

Despite the flamboyant middle section, Laitinen wanted the song’s backbone to be pure, driving power metal:

“Apart from the solo section, I wanted a very straightforward power metal song, no progressive gimmicks. With continuous double-bass drums and almost no breaks, it’s supposed to feel like a train that just keeps chugging. Andi’s vocals are as good as ever and every instrument is delivering at maximum capacity.”

A sci-fi journey into humanity’s distant future

Lyrically, The Explorer transports the listener several centuries forward. With catastrophic global warming pushing humanity and the animal kingdom to the brink of extinction, Earth launches a team of explorers across the galaxy to search for a new habitable planet — a final attempt to save life from an